The Power Of The Testimony

I want to share with you today the power that we have in the simple words of sharing our own testimony, our own God story. Let’s start with scripture shall we…

Acts 21:20-40, Acts 22:1-30, Acts 23:1-11

If you would prefer to listen to these sections of scripture click on each chapter below.
Acts 21, Acts 22, Acts 23

Background on Paul

As we read this portion of scripture we see that Paul stood up in front of a persecuting crowd and powerfully gave his testimony. This hostile crowd Paul was speaking to was ready to kill him on the spot, but because of Paul’s faithfulness to share, the Lord supernaturally protected Paul. There are some very significant things we learn about Paul from this portion of scripture. We learn that he was born a Jew in Tarsus in Cilicia, but he was brought up in Rome (Acts 22:3). This is significant for Paul because not only does he have the understanding of the Jewish culture, but he has the citizenship of a Roman. The Jews hated anything and anyone having to do with Rome. So, needless to say, Paul found himself  in a precarious situation with the Jews yet still having somewhat of an edge by being a Roman citizen. Paul finds himself  in a tug of war battle between two extreme worlds and to make matters even more complicated, Paul has converted to Christianity, a group of individuals more despised by the Jews then the Romans! His conversion itself is one of a peculiar nature because Paul had spent so much time and energy persecuting the very group of people he now has become apart. He persecuted Christians for what he saw as “blasphemy” and now he has joined them. Talk about a complicated life! I give you this history so you understand the significance of Paul’s testimony and the audience of which he was speaking.

Paul’s Testimony

If you examine this story closely you will notice that Paul was “all things to all men that he might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). Paul was an extremely educated man in his day. He spoke several languages. To the commander of the Roman army he spoke Greek in order to prove that he was a learned man and not just someone wanting to start a riot in the streets (Acts 21:37). He spoke Aramaic to the crowd when he gave his testimony not only to speak the language of his audience, but to also show that he was in deed a devout Jew. By doing so, he showed respect for the Jewish customs and laws (Acts 22:2). Paul was speaking to a very hostile audience and yet was still willing to stand and share the miracle that Christ had performed in his life.

Testimonies

I love hearing the testimonies of fellow believers. These testimonies always seem to encourage my heart so deeply. I recently watched a video of a testimony given by a married couple that are acquaintances of mine and it brought me to tears. I knew these individuals before they were saved and to watch the Lord move so powerfully in their lives is nothing short of an absolute miracle. The change in their lives is completely night and day. Their outlook on life, the way they communicate, the things to do and the things they no longer do have all changed. Even the countenance on their faces have changed. They love the Lord, love life, they love each other more now than before, and they are so enthusiastic about  going to church. In fact, so much so that they won’t miss a single event that the church has going on. If there is something at the church, you better believe they are there. It has been such a blessing to hear the testimony of this precious couple as they grow in the things of God.

My husband and I do a lot of traveling. We often get the beautiful honor of sharing Sunday mornings with different congregations. Every once in awhile we get the blessed opportunity to soak up a testimony or two. One particular Sunday on the road we found ourselves witnessing a baptism. We had the opportunity to hear this man’s testimony. Our Lord instantly delivered this man from a life long addiction to crack cocaine. When God got a hold of his heart he never once had the urge to return to that addiction ever again. He is now a member of his local church, serving God with all he has and sharing the love of Christ with whomever will listen, and even those who don’t want to listen he still will respectfully and lovingly share. He also has had some open doors to share with the very people that he had was getting high with before he was transformed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Think about this for just a moment. Those of us who would not be caught dead even thinking about doing drugs would never in a million years have any influence on that group people, but this man who was delivered from that addiction still has inroads into their hearts. The power of this man’s testimony can influence an entire group of people that you or I could never reach because so many of us would never consider walking down that road towards that particular group of people. I love that our Lord uses our life stories to influence the very people He has placed on our path.  

The above examples I shared are examples of how the Lord changed someone’s heart for the very first time. They are stories of hearts rescued from the kingdom of darkness and established in the kingdom of light. There are other realms of testimonies that have the ability to influence the heart and lives of others outside of our conversion story. I have listed just a few examples of different kinds of testimonies and each one is linked to an example from previous posts, please feel free to revisit each one for a dose of encouragement.

Testimonies of...

God’s faithfulness and goodness  -  “Unchecked Emotions And God’s Faithfulness”

God’s provision - “The Faithfulness Of God”

God’s teaching - “Precious Moments”

God’s protection - “Family History With Liberia”

God’s healing and deliverance - “Miracle Working God”, “My By Faith Shoes”

The beautiful thing about a shared testimony is the fact that as that testimony is being shared, faith is being imparted, deliverance and healing are being deposited into the hearts of those who are listening through the work of the Holy Spirit. Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes by hearing.” So when we share our testimony we are allowing others to hear the message of God and as I just mentioned, faith is being imparted in their hearts. Every time I hear a testimony I inevitably walk away feeling as if I have just gotten a double dose of faith. I feel encouraged and so deeply blessed! This is why we should never underestimate the power of our God story, we just never know how deeply it will affect the hearts of those who are listening.

The power behind  shared testimony is found

in the book of Revelation.

“They overcame over him (satan - the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Revelation 12:11 (quoted from 1991 edition of the NIV, emphasis mine)

When we share our testimony not only are we imparting faith into the hearts and lives of others, including ourselves, we are also sending a message to the devil. We are proclaiming that our lives belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, and in doing so we are gaining victory on the spiritual battlefield. Satan does not like to be reminded of whom our loyalties belong. It does not make him feel good to bring to his remembrance that he is a defeated foe. Every time we share our testimony it is one more defeating blow to satan’s big and overgrown ego. Each blow brings an empowering to us and a weakening to him. Don’t be ashamed to share your God story! Besides, if Paul can stand in front of a hostile crowd and share his God story, then surely we can share our story to a willing ear. God has given you a story to share for the strengthening of the body of Christ, the changing of hearts and the overcoming of the enemy! When you think about these three things, our God story truly is a powerful tool that God has placed in our hands. What a tremendous responsibility we have to share it with the world!  

Call To Action

What is your God story? There are people out there who need to hear your God story. Don't be ashamed of the work that God has done in your heart. Find a listening ear and share.

Also, feel free to share in the comments below something God has done in your life. We would love to share in the joy of your testimony!  I guarantee it will bless and encourage someone who hears it!

Feel free to revisit “My Testimony” if you want to know about my God story.

Lord, thank you for writing us a God story! Thank you that you continue to write new chapters and pages each and everyday. Help us to be as bold as Paul and be willing to share even in the midst of turmoil all around us. Help us to be a blessing and encouragement to those around us because we are not ashamed of sharing the beautiful things you have done in our hearts and lives. We love you Lord and we do not want to keep our story hidden away. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.